American Patriotism’s Decline

Nov 13, 2017 | 10:10 AM

As America observes Veterans Day, we should look honestly at the country's history of military service.

In the past, patriots felt an obligation, with some notable exceptions, to serve in our armed forces in times of crisis. Things changed during Vietnam. College and some graduate students got deferments. Others sought exemptions for real or faked medical conditions. Still others objected to serving on moral grounds. Whether it was a true moral stance or deeply imbedded fear, few will ever know. Although the vast majority in the service never saw combat, mothers and fathers were unwilling to have their children enlist.

The draft ended and left us with an all-volunteer army. In Vietnam, few Reserve or National Guard units were called up. Now they are now routinely sent — sometimes for multiple deployments.

In Vietnam, a tour of duty was 12 or 13 months and extensions or multiple tours were voluntary. Today, service members face multiple deployments in combat zones. Americans, who are spared military service, are unwilling to demand adequate care for returning veterans, particularly those with grievous wounds.

Less than 1 percent of Americans serve in our current wars. Our experience with war is largely confined to minimal news coverage and documentaries about past wars. We ignore the problems of returning veterans and their families. There is a Marine Corps saying, "America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war. America is at the mall." Face it: Today our patriotism is thin at best.

James Brother, Ellington

The writer served as an artillery forward observer with the Army's 25th Division in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1966.